"But the golden age will come when the Croatian consciousness, on our hearth, will burn again, and you will shake off the heavy shackles from Croatia, and united brothers will build a magnificent temple for you.” These wonderful lines from 'Pjesma slobodi' are just a part of the book 'Crying from afar', written by Croat Stjepan Asić from faraway Australia.
The book, which speaks in the best way about historical facts, but also about everything that an expatriate experiences far from the Homeland, was presented in Dugopolje, as part of the manifestation 'Podmosorska summer evening', Dugopolje cultural summer 2024. The day for the promotion was not chosen by chance, precisely at the dawn of the Victory Day and the Day of Homeland Gratitude and the Day of Croatian Veterans, she wanted to once again apostrophize and raise awareness of the role and contribution of the Croatian diaspora in the realization of the Croatian state-building idea; whereby the influence of Croats from Australia was significant and continuous.
Thus, it is worth highlighting the historical fact that on November 29, 1977, a group of Croatian emigrants opened a "Croatian Embassy" in Canberra as a reflection of the Great Serbian and Yugoslav hegemonic policies, wanting to draw the attention of the Australian public and the media to the legitimate political activity of Croats in Australia and the right of the Croatian people in the then SFRY to a free, independent and democratic state.
About that event, as well as numerous Croatian associations and associations, the media as well as important individuals who promoted the Croatian idea of statehood and the connection with the Motherland, Stjepan Asić in his book "Crying from afar" presents documentary, historical and scientific facts, and provides relevant evidence.
In his book, Asić describes in detail the origin and work of the Croatian National Council, founded in 1974, of which he was vice-president for the Western Australia Branch, and the influence of the Croatian National Council on the promotion of the Homeland.
The Croatian Motherland of Emigrants - Split Branch proudly co-organized this interesting promotion, together with KUD "Pleter" from Dugopolje and the National Library of Dugopolje, which ultimately had the character of a forum where the audience, through personal experiences, asked the author questions and suggestions on the additional activation of the Croatian diaspora in the political life of the Republic of Croatia.
In addition to the author Stjepan Asić, as moderators of the promotion and appropriate panel were Marijana Botić Rogošić, secretary of the Union of KUDs SDŽ Rogošić and head of the Split HMI Branch Ante Ćaleta; while the female klapa "Pleter" from Dugopolje was in charge of the musical narrative.
The director of the Dugopolje National Library, Slavica Plazbat, also welcomed the author to Dugopolje with an appropriate gift, wishing him more fruitful writing.
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